Rinnova’s birthday bash: Celebrating 20 years of coffee and community

By Bella Agnello

Cedarville’s lower SSC bustled with life on Thursday night as hundreds of students formed clumpy lines to try their luck at being a barista.

Immediately following the annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony, Rinnova threw a party in honor of its 20th birthday. Cold, tired students piled inside to enjoy freshly brewed, on-the-house coffee. In Panda Express, students lined up to get their free drip coffee, cookies and brownies. At Rinnova, students made their own hot or iced coffee flavoring it with the available assortment of syrups.

The party was mainly located inside of Panda. On the stage, a photo-op with a ring light welcomed students to take pictures together and eternalize the night. Cozy cafe music added to the ambience and mixed with the buzzing chatter of friends sitting down with friends at booths or tables.

Since its founding in 2004, Rinnova is experiencing rapid growth. What once started as nothing but a brick wall and some beans expanded into a coffee shop with a portable coffee cart. In 2009, five years after its grand opening, Rinnova sold about $500 in sales per day. Now, it is selling between $2,800 and $3,000 in sales per day.

Yet, Brian Burns, one of the founders of Rinnova and director of Campus Experience, never considered the economic success the coffee shop would have. During a panel at the end of the evening, Burns said that when he dreamt about the next big thing for Cedarville, he had another goal in mind.

“We never dreamed that we were going to do close to $400,000 in sales a year, but we wanted to start it because we wanted the community,” Burns said.

Community it has built. Though just finishing her first semester of freshman year, Gabby Miller – an Industrial Design major – sees the vibrancy that Rinnova brings to campus life.

“Rinnova’s such a cozy place to get together with people and meet new people,” Miller said.

At the beginning, middle and end of every day, students run to Rinnova. Whether it is a caramel latte, a Cubano or a customized latte, Rinnova offers students a well-earned treat to enjoy with friends or make studying a little sweeter. Junior Nursing majors Hannah Longshaw and Abby Tuttle often get coffee before class, while studying or meeting with friends.

Rinnova’s new coffee cart has made the trek for coffee a little easier for Longshaw.

“I live in Maddox, so I’ve seen the cart in the BTS, and it’s nice that you can get coffee from more places than the SSC,” Longshaw said. “I love coffee, it’s definitely nice for early lectures or labs in the morning to come and get a cup of coffee.”

For Tuttle, campus would not be the same without Rinnova.

“I do love a good coffee shop on campus, especially around Cedarville when there’s not tons around,” Tuttle said. “Being able to stay on campus, have good coffee and take it somewhere to study is super nice.”

Woven intrinsically into Rinnova’s birthday celebration was the joy of community.

“Even this birthday bash shows they want to plan events to bring people together and celebrate little things that make college life more enjoyable,” Miller said.

Rinnova is celebrating 20 years in business, and plans to stick around for 20 more. The menu has changed, student customers have come and gone, new staff will come on board and the shop itself will never look the same as when it first started. Still, the core of Rinnova will never change. Through beans and fellowship, it will continue to provide customers with an unforgettable experience every single time.

Burns said, “We watch you guys enjoy each other, and we create coffee for you to create relationships.”

Bella Agnello is a junior Broadcasting, Digital Media and Journalism major with a concentration in Journalism. She enjoys thrifting, listening to records and reading classic Russian literature in her spare time.

*Photos provided by Bella Agnello